SIRAJGANJ, Jan 23: Hundreds of curd stalls have sprung up in Sirajganj District and Tarash Upazila to mark Saraswati Puja, continuing a centuries-old tradition.
In the district town, the fair is held at the Shri Shri Maha Prabhu Akhra, where vendors from Sirajganj and neighbouring districts arrive a day in advance with hundreds of mond of curd to set up their stalls. Alongside curd, a variety of snacks and sweets such as moya, chira, jhuri, muri, murki, batisah, kadma, and date molasses are also sold. Prices range from Tk 120 to Tk 300 per kilogram, with varieties including Kheersa curd, Shahi curd, Chandikonar, Handiyal, Dharail, Sherpur, Bogura, sour curd, diabetic curd, and Shripur curd available in different flavours and rates.
The curd fair in the district has been running for over a hundred years. Meanwhile, in Tarash Upazila, a 300-year-old tradition continues with the curd fair held on the Eidgah ground in the Tarash town. The fair begins a day before Shree Panchami tithi with vendors bringing in various types of curd, with the main fair starting on Friday. The event has turned the area into a colourful hub of celebration, with decorations and festivities all around.
The Tarash curd fair has many local stories and legends associated with it. Babu Tapan Kumar Goswami, president of Tarash Upazila Sanatan Samity, said the tradition began nearly 300 years ago during the zamindari era when the then local zamindar, Param Bainchab Banowari Lal Roy Bahadur, first organised the curd fair on the Rashik Roy temple ground.
